HMS GANGES ASSOCIATION Noticeboard

The picture is of Tug Wilson who joined Ganges back in 1952, we all know him as the big Guy getting in the bloody way at reunion in his oversized wheelchair. Tug needs a new modern wheelchair so we have started an appeal down at RNA Uxbridge to raise enough funds, I have got West London Ganges Division involved and I have written to the National Committee for support and I also intend to reach the Ganges Boys who have not yet come into our modern world of the internet via Dick Lloyd with the Gazette. His old Chair has seen better days so we have decided to try and look after one of our own and get him an electric made to measure one. I am Chairman of RNA Uxbridge so I have got the branch to head the appeal as we hold a Charity Bank account, so it will be easier to hold the funds in one place until we have enough to make the purchase. We estimate that the chair will cost in the region of £2k, yet to be confirmed as we are waiting for a company to visit Tug and take his measurements and give us a formal quote Donations by cheque or money order made out to Uxbridge RNA Please. Slinger Wood <kevin.wood@blueyonder.co.uk>

Association Committee Meeting

Queen's visit 1961 Shotley (HMS Ganges) Shotley, near Ipswich 22 July 1961 Reference: Print/108
Mast manning ceremony at HMS Ganges Shotley, near Ipswich 25 June 1964 Reference: G431/1-2
HMS Ganges Christmas pudding Shotley 29 November 1964 Reference C74/1-2

Dear Clive,

Please find enclosed a positive letter I received from the Chris Edge Honours Secretary Foreign and Commonwealth Office in answer to a letter I sent to the Prime Minister regards the Malaysian PJM medal.

Apparently there has been a misunderstanding and HMG have not rejected this medal, but are still considering it. Baroness Symons who spoke in the House of Lords on 11 Jan 2005 was only giving her own views and in fact did not have the authority to reject the medal. So many ex-Ganges boys who served on HM Ships in the far east from 1957 to 1966 may yet be intitled to this medal.

Would you kindly put this reply and my letter to the prime Minister on the notice board to update my previous post nearly two months ago.

Many Thanks

George Fleming

on 10/5/05 12:44 pm, <chris.edge@fco.gov.uk> wrote:

Dear Mr Fleming

Thank you for your e-mailed letter to the Prime Minister, dated 5 May. I have been asked to reply as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office administers the British Government rules on the accepting and wearing of foreign awards.

I think there may have been a misunderstanding as to the Government's position with regard to the PJM Medal. It is only quite recently that the Malaysian authorities have formally asked the British Government about permission for British Citizens to accept and wear the PJM. This is a new Malaysian medal to recognise and commemorate service in Malaya or Malaysia between August 1957 and August 1966.

The Government has certain rules regarding the accepting and wearing of foreign awards and decorations, and it is against these rules, now that a formal approach has been made, that the Malaysian request will be considered.

Your views will certainly be taken into account during the consideration process for the PJM Medal.

Yours sincerely,

Chris Edge

Honours Secretary

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

From: George Fleming

To. The Right Honourable Mr Tony Blair MP

Prime Minister of UK

No 10 Downing Street

SW1A 2AA. London

Date 27th April 2005

Dear Prime Minister

I wonder did you or any other politicians in your political party pay much attention to the unveiling of a Malaya-Borneo memorial in St Pauls Cathedral by the Duke of kent on 22 April 2005?

Many British politicians today may only remember western failures against communism like Korea and Vietnam but few nowadays recall the victory in Malaya-Borneo. Mr Prime Minister did you know that the Malayan Emergency

(1948 -1960) & Indonesian Confrontation (secret war against Sukarno) (1962 to 1966) was the only war the west won against communism in the Far East?

After the defeat of the Japanese in WWII, a new problem emerged for Malaya.

In 1948 Chinese guerrilla fighters who had been armed and air supplied by the British during the war emerged from the jungle and under Chin Peng, began their terror campaign to take over the country by force. This was similar to Ho Chi Ming¹s support for the French and later US against the Japanese in WW2 in French Indo China, but later metamorphosed militarily into the infamous Vietnam War. Thus in Malaya an intense jungle war began, fought by the British, Commonwealth and Malay forces against the Malayan Communist Party. The British, Government of the day, along with many others in the Western bloc, were apprehensive about the spread of international communism.

So began one of the longest continuous military commitment in British and commonwealth history. British, Australian and New Zealand servicemen fought a most unrecognised and secret war, the campaign to defend the newly established Malaysia formed in 1957 against confrontation by Indonesia & China. The Emergency lasted for twelve years, ending in 1960, during which time 6707 of the enemy were killed - 4000 either captured or surrendered.

446 British Armed Forces personnel lost their lives. The combined force's losses including civilians, totalled 5313 - dead or presumed missing. The Malayan Government finally decided to declare the Emergency over on 31st July 1960.

Operations against Indonesia in Borneo and West Malaysia lasted from 1962 to 1966. This was also similar to the role in the Malayan Emergency, an "undeclared war", largely unpublicised. The British, Australians and New Zealanders now deployed forces on behalf of the nation of Malaysia, a country of 8 million, against Indonesia, a country of 100 million. Some 30,000 soldiers eventually fought in jungle theatres, backed up by one-third of the British fleet, supported by ships of the RAN and RNZN. Along with the campaign in Aden, the Indonesian conflict in Borneo was one of two ferocious campaigns that the British fought at the same time that the Americans waged war in Vietnam.

In 1972 President LBJ and the US Government unfortunately lost their 10 year war against communism in Vietnam having to accept humiliating defeat and withdraw their troops. Britain and their allies of Australia and New Zealand on the other hand won a successful war against communism in Malaya-Borneo.

Yet while returning US servicemen received a number of medals for their service in Vietnam their British and commonwealth counterparts received the ubiquitous British General Service Medal with one of four clasps. (Malaya 48-60, Brunei 62, Borneo 62-64, Malaya Peninsula 64-66). But unlike American servicemen who also received a South Vietnam foreign medal, British servicemen never received a foreign medal from Malaysia the country they were defending against communism.

Some 40 years later in November 2004 the Malaysian government decided to award all British and commonwealth servicemen who served their country with a commemorative medal called the 'Malaysian Service medal'. The Australian and New Zealand governments accepted this award for their servicemen with

the gracious thanks which it deserved. But guess what, Mr prime Minister

your 2005 government has rejected Malaysia's kind offer. See:

LORDS HANSARD TEXT FOR 11 JANUARY 2005 (250111w03)

<http://www.publications.parliament.uk/cgi-bin/semhtml_hl?DB=semukparl&STEMMER=en&WORDS=malaysian%20medal&ALL=Malaysian%20medal&ANY=&PHRASE=&CATEGORIES=&SIMPLE=&SPEAKER=&COLOUR=Red&STYLE=s&ANCHOR=50111w03_spnew0&URL=/pa/ld199697/ldhansrd/pdvn/lds05/text/50111w03.htm#50111w03_spnew0>

Now all these British servicemen who helped Harold Wilson 40 years ago win the only war against communism in the far east, have been told point blankly by Baroness Symons they are not allowed to accept or wear this foreign medal from Malaysia. Surely you must agree Prime Minister servicemen who served in the only successful war against communism on behalf of a former British labour government should be treated better than this?

I and my fellow members of the Malaya - Borneo veterans association kindly request that your government consider a ŒU¹ Turn made by Baroness Symons in the House of Lords (11January 2005). Instead i request you give the Malaysian government all the help they require, and finally ok the MOD with a green light to assist in helping award these PJM medals to those ex-servicemen intitled. As described in the New Straits Times 6th April 2005 ŒMedals for defenders of Malaysia¹ The PJM is in recognition of their "distinguished chivalry, gallantry, sacrifice and loyalty to the freedom of independence of Malaysia."

Yours sincerely

George Fleming

Malaya-Borneo Veteran

Advanced bulletin from Navy News.

Communication has been received from Navy News that the June edition
will contain a four-page pullout souvenir supplement on H.M.S Ganges.
Order your copy now.

Further details will be provided when received.

Dickie Doyle <mail@sloproom.co.uk>

The Secretary, Geof Hill, has today received 40 application forms for the Southsea Common Drumhead Ceremony celebrating Trafalgar Day on Wednesday, 29 June 2005. Each form entitles the applicant to two tickets ie for self and minder. Unfortunately, the deadline for returning the application forms for your security check is 16 May! Therefore you must act quickly if you would like to attend. Please contact Geof, by fax or phone, on 0121 749 5865 – if faxing ignore the answerphone, the fax will over-ride as necessary. Distribution will have to be on a First Come – First Served basis. So don’t delay! Tony Thipthorpe Chairman HMS Ganges Association 3/5/05

A THANK YOU for all the THANK YOU’s

Those members who have been following the Forum and Chat Room postings will know that our Centenary Parade and Reunion Weekend have been the subject of many expressions of praise and congratulations. In addition, I, and I understand many members of the Committee and sub-committee, have received similar comments by mail, email, telephone and even notes on DVD Order forms. The Admiral has written personally to express how proud he felt to be invited to such an event, adding BZ to his letter (that’s Well Done for the non-communicators). In all, these votes of confidence and thanks have been overwhelming in number and extent. On behalf of all the Committee and the sub-committee I wish to say Thank You to all of you. Without the enthusiastic support of the whole membership, world-wide, we could not have pulled it off. The blessing of good weather on the day was the final icing on the cake.

I am asking Clive to put this message up on the website to record the fact that members of your Committee and sub-committee who handled the whole event have been most touched by this generous show of appreciation. It has made all the time and effort given to the occasion over the last two years worthwhile.

Tony Thipthorpe

Chairman

HMS Ganges Association

3/5/05

Centenary Parade DVD/VHS Recording A DVD is being commissioned to record as much as possible of the Parade, the Reception and interviews with Members. It is envisaged that the DVD will be made available between 3 to 4 weeks after the event at a cost of £10 each. Copies will be made available for sale through the Museum and by direct mail from the Chairman. When mailed to UK addresses an additional £1.50 per disk, postage and packing, will be required. P&P costs for other addresses will be calculated at the time. Similarly, the price of video tapes will be calculated when numbers are known. It would be very helpful if an indication could be given as to the number of disks/tapes required. Obviously, small quantities will cost more to produce than larger batches. Please contact me by: telephone (01702) 341968,  fax (01702) 432440 or, preferably, by email to: <thipthorpe@btconnect.com> to give an indication of future orders. These indications will not be binding but will help us in assessing the likely demand for disks & tapes. Tony Thipthorpe Chairman, HMS Ganges Association

Please click on this button to download and print a DVD/VHS Order Form